Asian brands outsell Big 3 in May

Asian automakers outsold Detroit's Big Three for the first time in May as the industry continued its dramatic shift toward more fuel-efficient cars.

Helped by a reputation for fuel-sipping models, Asian brands captured 47.8 percent of the U.S. market, while American automakers held just 45.4 percent of their home turf last month.

Exemplifying the landslide toward cars, the Honda Civic supplanted the Ford F-Series pickup as the nation's best-selling vehicle. May was a watershed month," said Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s group vice president for marketing and communications. "We as an industry are catching up with breathtaking choices customers are making."

Last month, 57 percent of all vehicles sold were passenger cars, according to Autodata Corp. A year ago, they accounted for less than 50 percent of the market.

Overall, truck sales continued their nosedive in May, falling 23.6 percent, while cars posted a modest 2.4 percent increase.

The Civic, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord all outsold Ford's flagship vehicle last month, marking May as the first month since the early 1990s that a car, not a pickup, was the best selling vehicle in the United States. On an annual basis, the F-series has been the nation's top-selling vehicle since 1981. More at Detroit News